חלק ב — תורה 5

15A. And this is conceptually related to a teacher with disciples. A true teacher with [his] disciples brings to and rectifies all the concepts mentioned previously.

When disciples gather around the teacher, the facets of faith are gathered together and collected. This is the reason the studying of a teacher with disciples is called yeShiVah, on account of the gathering together of the facets of faith. This is the concept of “a land noShaVet (inhabited)” (Exodus 16:35), as in “dwell in the land and tend to faith”; the opposite of “an unsown land” (Jeremiah 2:2), which alludes to a blemish of faith. For the teacher supervises each one’s facets of faith, gathering and elevating them, as in “My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, lashevet (that they should dwell) with Me” (Psalms 101:6). “LaSheVet with Me” alludes to yeShiVah, “a land noShaVet.”

This is why those who convert as a result of the gathering of faith, as explained previously, are identified with yeShiVah, as it is written: “He saw the Kenite… and said: Aytan moShaVekha (Secure is your dwelling)” (Numbers 24:21). And this is the meaning of AYTaN—“TaNYA that supports you,” as is brought in the Tikkuney Zohar (#21, p .44a). Yeshivah study is support for converts, because the concept of yeshivah brings them to convert. Through a teacher with [his] disciples, i.e., yeshivah, the facets of faith are gathered together and collected, and so people convert. It follows, that a teacher with [his] disciples rectifies faith.

15B. The mind, too, is renewed and rectified. The teacher rectifies and renews the minds of the disciples, and the disciples renew the mind of the teacher, as [the Sages] said: “… but from my students most of all” (Makkot 10a).

Now, the main time for gathering is on Rosh HaShanah, which, as “head,” corresponds to the rectification of the intellects, as discussed above. And each one illuminates and strengthens the other. In other words, all five senses of the brain are present also in the teacher with [his] disciples when they gather together.

The sense of sight parallels seeing the teacher, as in “your eyes will see your teacher” (Isaiah 30:20), which is a great thing.

Hearing is the concept of “He opened their ears to discipline” (Job 36:10)—i.e., each one hearing the reproof of the teacher.

Smell parallels the exertion and effort each person expends in trekking to reach the teacher. This is synonymous with smell, as in “and the fragrance [in] APeikh (your nose)” (Song of Songs 7:9), and in “APh (Also), my wisdom remained with me” (Ecclesiastes 2:9). Wisdom that became mine through the aph remained with me (Kohelet Rabbah 2:13)—i.e., on account of the exertion and effort. For the only way to receive from the teacher is through exertion and effort. This corresponds to the sense of smell.

Taste parallels each one tasting and experiencing the sweetness in the teacher’s pleasing words.

Touch signifies the hands, as discussed above. This alludes to the expenditures each person has, that he must spend his earnings in order to reach the teacher. This is the sense of touch, the hands—i.e., the labor of his hands.

It follows, that here, too, as on Rosh HaShanah, the five senses are rectified. And each one illuminates and strengthens the other. There are times when the five senses associated with Rosh HaShanah are weak, and are strengthened by these five senses of a teacher with [his] disciples. So, too, the other way round. And the concept of tefilin , the seal of Holiness, too, is rectified through them, as in “seal the Torah in [the hearts of] My disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).

This corresponds to that which our Sages, of blessed memory, taught:

When the Rabbis stood up after Rav Huna’s discourses, they shook out glimyhu (their cloaks) and the ananei (clouds) rose [so high] that they obscured the day {i.e., the sun} (Ketuvot 106a ; see there) .

In other words, when the disciples would stand up from the yeshivah of their teacher, Rav Huna, they shook out their cloaks . This refers to clothing, which signifies pride, as in “God reigns, He is clothed in grandeur” (Psalms 93:1)—i.e., they shook out and removed haughtiness. This is because the yeshivah of the teacher with the disciples rectifies the seal of Holiness, which is the antithesis of haughtiness, as discussed above.

And this is: GLiMYhu— [The letters that spell] GaLMY are an acronym for “YHVH Malakh Gei’ut Lavesh (God reigns, He is clothed in grandeur),” the concept of haughtiness. They subdued and removed it.

And this is: and the clouds rose— This alludes to rectifying the Covenant by removing “his flesh becomes stopped up” and elevating it to the concept of tefilin /intellects, as discussed above. This is the meaning of “the clouds rose,” as in “When the rainbow is in the cloud” (Genesis 9:16), which alludes to rectification of the Covenant.

And this is: ANaN (cloud)— An acronym for “N’divei Amim Ne’esafu (The nobles of the nations gathered)” (Psalms 47:10), which alludes to converts. For the rectification of converts brings to the rectification of the Covenant, as discussed above. And when the Covenant is rectified—i.e., when “his flesh becomes stopped up” is elevated to the level of intellects—the concept of tefilin that cover the mind is created (see Tikkuney Zohar #69, p.115b).

And this is: they obscured the day, i.e., the sun— This alludes to the concept of tefilin that cover the mind, which corresponds to the sun. This is Moshe, as in: Moshe’s face is like the face of the sun (Bava Batra 75a), for Moshe is synonymous with daat, as discussed above.

15C. {“Sweet is the sleep of the working man (Metukah shnat ha’oveid), whether he eats little or much” (Ecclesiastes 5:11) .}And when the mind is rectified to the level of Moshe/ tefilin, then even when Moshe passes away, i.e., when the intellects depart, the vestige that remains, which is the concept of sleep, is also very good. This is as in “Metukah Shnat Ha’oveid (Sweet is the sleep of the working man)”—the first letters of which spell MoSheH.

Because the intellects are not permanently fixed, there are times when the teacher experiences a departure of the intellects. The same is true of the disciples. The period of departure corresponds to the passing of Moshe/ daat, the concept of sleep. But when the intellects are rectified by means of yeshivah, then even the departure of daat, which is Moshe passing away and sleep—even the sleep is sweet and good, as in “Sweet is the sleep of the working man.” This is because rectifying the intellects/Moshe rectifies sleep, corresponding to a dream mediated by an angel, as discussed above.

This is the meaning of “Sweet is the sleep of the working man”—specifically “sweet,” alluding to concept of sweet waters. This refers to the rectification of the Covenant, which is sweet waters (see Likutey Moharan I, 50:1), the opposite of a blemished Covenant, which is bitter waters, i.e., the blemish caused by the aforementioned defilement, God forbid. But by rectifying the intellects, sleep becomes sweet—the concept of sweet waters, rectification of the Covenant.

And this is the meaning of “whether he eats little or much”—i.e., he is not harmed by eating, which brings to the aforementioned defilement in a dream, God forbid, as discussed above. This is because rectification of the intellects rectifies the concept of sleep. Rectifying the intellects causes sleep, which is the departure of daat , to likewise be very good and sweet.

In truth, it is particularly necessary to set aside the mind. People have to discard all sophisticated ideas and serve God with simplicity. A person’s practices should exceed his scholarship (Avot 3:9) ; action is the main thing, not the study (ibid. 1:17). It is therefore necessary to set aside all wisdom, and to worship God with simplicity, without any sophisticated ideas. This is obviously so for the foolish “wisdom” of the average person, but even applies to genuine wisdom. When it comes to serving God, even someone who in truth has a great mind, must discard all sophisticated ideas and serve Him with simplicity.

It may even be necessary to behave in ways and do things that seem mad in order to serve God, as in “you will be insane with love of her always” (Proverbs 5:19). On account of people’s love for God, they have to [be willing to] do things that seem crazy in order to fulfill His commandments and carry out His Will. They have to [be willing to] roll around in all sorts of mud and mire for the sake of His worship and His mitzvot. This does not apply only to an explicit mitzvah. Anything that bears God’s Will is called a mitzvah. For there are six hundred thirteen commandments, and these six hundred thirteen commandments have many branches. Thus anything that bears God’s Will, through which one pleases his Father in heaven, is a mitzvah, and one must throw oneself into all sorts of mud and mire to give God a bit of pleasure and nachat.

And so, when one’s love for God is so strong that he sets aside all his wisdom and throws himself in mud and mire for His worship and to give Him a bit of nachat, it benefits the intellects. This is because he then merits entering into the mystery of even that which is beyond the intellects, that which even Moshe could not enter into the mystery of in his lifetime—namely, the concept of “the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper” (see Berakhot 7a). This suggests a perversion of mishpat, for it appears to be a miscarriage of the law, God forbid, and even Moshe failed to enter into the mystery of this while he was alive.

In other words, even when the mind is intact and not set aside, which signifies Moshe while alive—for departed intellects/sleep corresponds to Moshe-departed, as discussed above, whereas existent intellects, when the intellects are present and do not depart, correspond to Moshe-alive—even then one cannot enter into the aforementioned mystery, i.e., the reason why the righteous suffer…. But, because his love for God is so strong that he throws himself in mud and mire and rolls around there in order to serve God, and he literally serves like a slave for the sake of His love, he can then enter into the mystery of what even those with Moshe-alive/existent intellects cannot—namely, “the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.”

For there is the concept of “son,” one who searches in the King’s treasuries as would a son (see Zohar III, 111b), and there is the concept of “slave,” one who serves merely as he is told to, and is forbidden to inquire after the reasons for his toiling because he is obliged to do his duty, i.e., the work he has been given to carry out.

But then there is a son who loves his father so much that, because of his love, he serves like a slave, doing what a lowly slave must do. He jumps onto great siege-mounds, into the thick of the battle, and rolls in mud and mire to please his father, things which not even a lowly slave would do.

And when his father sees that his love is so strong that he is willing to reduce himself to total enslavement for the sake of his love, he reveals to him that which is not even disclosed to a son. Because even a son who searches in the royal treasuries is forbidden entry to certain places, i.e., there are mysteries that even the son cannot enter into. But when the son sets aside his wisdom and reduces himself to slavery, his father shows him compassion and reveals to him that which is not disclosed even to a son—i.e., the concept of “the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper” is revealed to him, which even Moshe could not enter into the mystery of in his lifetime.

{“I will have mercy on them the way a man has mercy on his son who serves him. Then you will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him ” (Malachi 3:17-18) .} This is the meaning of “I will have mercy on them the way a man has mercy on his son who serves him.” Specifically “who serves him”—i.e., the concept of a son who reduces himself to slavery, setting aside his wisdom and acting like a slave. This is the meaning of “his son who serves him”—he behaves like a slave, and so “I will have mercy on him.” For when God sees that his love is so strong, He has compassion for him and He shows and reveals to him the concept of “the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.” This is the meaning of “Then you will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked”—i.e., through this he merits entering into the mystery of “the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.”

15D. And this is the rectification of mishpat, because he merits entering into the mystery of “the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper,” which appears to be a perversion of mishpat. But now that he merits entering into the mystery of and understanding this, it is a rectification of mishpat.

It follows, that a true teacher with [his] disciples brings to and rectifies all the concepts mentioned previously.